DIAGNOSTIC-ACCURACY OF PERICARDIAL FLUID CYTOLOGY - AN ANALYSIS OF 53SPECIMENS FROM 44 CONSECUTIVE PATIENTS

Over a 7-yr period a fetal of 53 pericardial fluid specimens from 44 p atients was examined. A correlation between cytological and histologic al diagnosis was made in 19 of these cases. In the remaining 25 cases, where a biopsy was not performed, the cytological diagnosis was corre lated with the final clinical diagnosis and the patients' clinical out come. Finally, in 9 out of 14 cases of malignancy where both cytologic al and a histological diagnosis was made, the cytologic prediction of the histologic type of cancer was evaluated. The overall sensitivity w as 100%, the overall specificity was 93.3%, and the overall cytologica l accuracy was 95.4%. The predictive value of the correct histologic t ype of cancer by cytology was 77.7%. Our findings show that the carefu l cytomorphological examination of pericardial fluid aspirates is a va luable, reliable, and diagnostically highly accurate method, which cou ld be performed on a routine basis in a busy cytopathology department. Judiciously chosen ancillary procedures, as well as clinicopathologic al correlation, are of great value for an accurate diagnosis irt probl ematic cases. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.